Suspect in 2007 missing couple’s case commits suicide

According to Busan police, the 42-year-old suspect supposedly linked to the disappearance of Choi Nak-yul and his wife Jo Yeong-suk was found dead in an apparent suicide in Geoje city, South Gyeongsang Province.

He was found on May 17, 2012, with a suicide note that said: “None of this would have happened if I kept my hands off the stocks.”

The unnamed man was considered a prime suspect by police after it learned that he faked an alibi using Choi’s cell phone. Police reopened the case last year and found that the suspect colluded with his friend to forge phone records to secure an alibi.

The suspect was a business partner with Choi and was the last person known to have contacted him.

“We found evidence that the suspect carefully manipulated the case. Given the circumstances, it is highly likely that the Choi couple is already dead,” a police official said. “The suspect seems to have been driven to kill himself after feeling the pressure of the police investigation closing in on him.”

The disappearance of 57-year-old Choi and his 52-year-old wife was one of the best-known cold cases in Busan.

Choi went missing after leaving home with his wife in April 2007. Police suspected foul play and conducted a sweeping investigation, but failed to find any clues.